Just Drunk?

But others in the crowd ridiculed them, saying, “They’re just drunk, that’s all!” (Acts 2:13)

News flash! We have the answer! Alcoholic beverages have loosened the tongues of these Galileans! Of course! That’s why they are speaking so fluently in languages that are not related to their own or found anywhere near their homes! They actually do know these languages—how and where they learned them is another matter we won’t worry about right now. But that explains it…we knew there had to be a logical explanation. Okay, everyone, move along, nothing to see here, or listen to…

I had a taste of this when we first arrived in Solomon Islands in 1989. There was a small ruckus outside my house. A young man, who was obviously inebriated, was talking in amazingly fluent English (on various topics and with great emotion). My mentor who was with me and who had lived in the Solomons for almost a decade observed his behavior and quietly said to me, “When Solomon Islanders get drunk, they can speak beautiful English.” In other words, their national language, English, is firmly planted in their minds. It takes alcohol to remove any inhibition to speak it fluently. Almost all Solomon Islanders speak multiple languages, in a list that includes their mother tongue and Solomons Pijin, which is spoken widely in the islands. For most Islanders, English would be at best their third language, if not their fourth or fifth. So, remove (by means of alcohol) any reluctance to speak, and English comes pouring out! It’s in there; it just needs coaxing to be revealed.

That explanation was a good try on the part of the Pentecost observers. In fact, the Scripture says in verse 13, some of these observers ridiculed the speakers. It was obvious to them that they were drunk. How else could they do this?

Peter, who steps forward to preach, obviously heard that comment and begins his amazing sermon and explanation with these words: “Make no mistake; they aren’t drunk! It’s only 9:00 in the morning! Much too early for people to get drunk. Drunkenness is not the explanation for this amazing scene. Let me tell you what’s happened…”

I don’t blame the observers for trying to find a logical explanation. After all, this is the most phenomenal language event in the history of the world. I do blame myself, though, when I try to explain God’s supernatural work with a natural cause. Admittedly, it often feels normal and natural to do so—“c’mon, how do you explain that?!”—but that line of reasoning is usually wrong. God does work through natural events, but even then, He is at work. We would do well to acknowledge His work and presence, even if we don’t understand or can’t explain it.

“Father, keep us sensitive to what you are doing, and help us to avoid attributing your amazing work to natural means.”